In the past, bulk MicroElectroMechanical systems and devices or NanoElectroMechanical systems or devices, which will hereinafter be collectively referred to as MEMS devices, systems or processes, have mostly been made out of semiconductor substrate materials in the form of wafers of single crystal silicon or polysilicon thin films on various substrates through the use of conventional semiconductor production equipment and processes. This technology is described with respect to its application to single crystal silicon substrates in U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,979, for example, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. This process is often referred to as the “SCREAM” process, is well developed, and has found wide application in a variety of fields. However, semiconductor MEMS devices produced in this manner are brittle, having a fracture toughness between 0.1–3 MPa m1/2, and there has been only a limited ability to select suitable materials based on the intended applications. As a result, the physical characteristics of the materials limit their use.